Written question WQ97952
- Asked by
- Delyth JewellPlaid
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 4 days
Question
What consideration has the Cabinet Secretary given to expanding the criteria of the Onnen psychological support service in Cardiff to bereaved parents who have experienced a) first and early second trimester miscarriages, b) sudden and unexplained death in infancy, and c) a loss over one year ago?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing
An independent evaluation of the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board specialist psychological support pilot, in addition to the local evaluation, will assess its effectiveness and determine its suitability for wider implementation across Wales. This will be procured from an external provider early in 2026. As part of the scoping, consideration will be given to the access criteria.
Alongside our plans for evaluation of the psychological service, we have invested significantly in specialist perinatal mental health services, with dedicated teams now in place in every health board.
We are also supporting NHS Performance and Improvement to work with SANDS to develop bereavement pathways. This work focuses on five key pathways – miscarriage, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly, stillbirth, neonatal death, and sudden unexpected death in infancy. These have been shaped by feedback from parents and healthcare professionals and will be published in March 2026.